Puerto Rico looks like it will be the 51st state

[TaraJo]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/elec...statehood/

I found it interesting, at least. Had they been a state this time around, it probably would have been another state for Obama because of the quasi-racist Republican obsession with immigration. It would put two more seats in the Senate and 5 more in he House (according to current population trends at least). Plus, both presidential candidates support Puerto Rico statehood. Looks like it's only a matter of time before those flags with 50 stars become obsolete.

[Something completely different]

I wouldn`t be that sure about Puerto Rico becoming a democrat stronghold, from what i have read in the past minutes it`s a (socialy) pritty conservative place.
Which I might compare to conservative Spain, in which the catholic church has a lot of influence in public opinion.
The fact that homosexuals are assaulted on a daily basis is scary enought.

[The Grand Nudger]

The fact that homosexuals are assaulted on a daily basis is scary enought.

One wonders how many of those incidents involve tourist Johns...hmn, we probably aren't thinking of the same place...

[TaraJo]

I wouldn`t be that sure about Puerto Rico becoming a democrat stronghold, from what i have read in the past minutes it`s a (socialy) pritty conservative place.
Which I might compare to conservative Spain, in which the catholic church has a lot of influence in public opinion.
The fact that homosexuals are assaulted on a daily basis is scary enought.

Long term, no, I don't see them being a democrat state unless there are some very big changes to Puerto Rico. However, the thing that changed in this election from most election was that the hispanic voter actually showed up. Statistically speaking, hispanic voters don't show up to vote as much as other voters do. This time they did and gave the presidency to Obama. Since Puerto Rico is almost entirely hispanic, until the Republican party gives up their lame ass immigration concerns (which are pretty much just a front for 'we-hate-non-white-people' attitudes), I can't see a state that's almost entirely hispanic voting for them. The only question is, when is the Republican party going to drop the borderline-racism within their party?

[Something completely different]

I agree on the point, that as long as the republican party will have a discrimenatory and sometimes eaven racist (very weird in that case) policie towards hispanics, that puerto rico will vote democrat for most of the time.
But I guess the republican will learn out of their defeat, that they have to be more forthcoming towards minorities, if not... well then they are digging their own graves.

[TaraJo]

I agree on the point, that as long as the republican party will have a discrimenatory and sometimes eaven racist (very weird in that case) policie towards hispanics, that puerto rico will vote democrat for most of the time.
But I guess the republican will learn out of their defeat, that they have to be more forthcoming towards minorities, if not... well then they are digging their own graves.

Yeah, they're starting to learn, but it's going to be a rough road. I mean, they tolerated so much blatent racism in regards to Obama then, they try to prove they aren't racist with token black candidate Herman Cain (who, honestly, is more of an insult to black people than having no black candidates).

For now, Marco Rubio can be a HUGE help for them; he's an intelligent hispanic man and he certainly isn't just a token hispanic guy, either. Honestly, I think either Rubio or Condileza Rice running would be the best for the Republican party, since both of them are intelligent, accomplished racial minorities (Condi is a woman, too, which has been another of their problem areas).

Still, those are the intelligent, rational ideas I would have for the Republican party and lately, they haven't been especially rational.

[Annik]

They have to get approval before they become a state, they just voted in their country that they wanted to become a state.

[Polaris]

I hope they become a state....I don't want to see them ever get their freedom.

[JohnDG]

The fact the united states owns territories is contradictory to what we believe in. We need to either free all and make them their own countries or give them all statehood.

[Justtristo]

With Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state of the Union, would that mean that Spanish becomes an "official" language with English in the United States government. Like for example French and English are both the official languages of Canada.